Any suggestions anyone, please?

[SillyAlien]

Hello all,

A week ago I purchased a vB license. Being very satisfied with the product, I decided to purchase a license for my friend who helped me install it. I asked vB support how to do this and was told that I should just fill in my friend's name as purchaser, but put my name down for credit card. All was well atr first glance. When my friend went to browse HIS member area, he also could see MY license details. I notified vB support again, and they promised to split the accounts. The next email I got from vB support informed me that the credit card purchase was charged back to them and they were voiding the license, calling it fraudulent use and telling me to make sure that my friend's vB board was pulled off his site as he no longer had a license.

From a very satisfied customer, I now look like a forgerer, and am immensely embarassed in front of my friend. I have done everything as I was asked and have ended up with a face full of mud.

I cannot afford to wait 2 days again for another email from vB, as that is the exact turnaround time each time. This is why I am here, to ask...... no, to plead with you all to see if anyone has any suggestions how I can now go about getting my friend HIS vB. I refuse to pull his vB off the air, even if it means that I have to purchase it temporarily in MY name, as that is what I am sure caused this degenerative situation.

If anyone has any suggestions, can you please post them. I am actually hoping that one of the vB crew sees this post, so I may have a sooner reply as my friend's board is in jeopardy.

Very disappointed,
SillyAlien:(

[rockergrrl]

hmmm...
Instead of using your email address when you order, type in your friend's email address.

If I'm not mistaken the license system goes by what email address you use when you order. I used the same email address for all 3 of mine and they're all under the same license number and password.

I maybe mistaken... but its worth a shot...

[SillyAlien]

Thanks for the tip rockergrrl. I realized that too as soon as I noticed that both lisences were in the same member profile. I sent a follow up email to vB support and gave a different email address for my friend to help them split the accounts. That would have solved that problem. Now I have a more serious one though.
The problem that still exists is how do I pay for this using my credit card if the name of the purchaser and that of the cardholder do not match. This is what the vB support email suggested I do, but as we all found out, it backfired in a big way.
Having such a long history of emails within one week, I would have thought that the vB staff would have understood the situation right away and emailed me with an alternative billing solution rather than demanding the immediate removal of my friend's vB board from his site.
So the billing problem still exists.:(

[Wayne Luke]

The chargeback is most likely due to fraud control that your bank or credit card issuer has implemented to protect you...

You probably triggered a filter that caused them to deny the charge in your best interests.

There are several ways you can purchase a vBulletin for your friend. Credit Cards are not the only option just the easiest.

You can contact Digibuy and find out the exact details of the transaction and your bank to do the same. Then you will know what needs to change. I wish I can be more help but we contract with Digibuy so they handle all aspects of the sell which includes handling your credit card.

[SillyAlien]

Just a suggestion...

Can I then purchase a vB license in my name again, and have it later changed/transferred to my friend's name? This is actually the suggestion I originally made to vB sales.
Just a suggestion. IMHO this is by far the easiest way and avoids the sort of fraud-filter triggering that happened. I am certainly not about to start contacting the bank and Digibuy to research their filter data.

[rockergrrl]

hmmm...

I say, when you order, just your your name on it - both billing and purchaser. DigiBuy uses anti-fraud methods. And then use a different email address when you place your order - that way your friend gets his own member area - and you have yours.

I had something similiar happen when I purchased a help desk script from one of the members here. He used Revecom as the credit card processor. I just recently transfered my domains into my host's reseller account over at Enom - and I forgot to change my register information form his name and into mine. Well Revecom checked the registration into on my domain that I used in my email address and seen my host's name, etc and compared it to my name on my credit card. Needless to say, They thought it was fraud and refunded the money. We ended up sorting things out with Revecom - the gentleman I got the script from received the $$ -- but I still got refunded the $$. We both won on that transaction.

Anyways...
I say just keep the order in your name - period...and use your friend's emial address instead.

The license may have your name on it - but the license doesn't go by the name of the user - it goes by the domain where the board is located at.

Did all that make sense? I need to get to bed, I've been up since 4am... *yawn*

I'm sure John and James will verify this and I'm sure they can change the actual name to your friend's name once everything is pass through the credit card system over at DigiBuy. :)

Hope I could help you out some.

Tonya

[rockergrrl]

Wayne beat me to the post while I was rattling away... :)

[SillyAlien]

Thanks again rockergrrl, have a peaceful night.

I have no problem with purchasing it in my name again, but I do want it eventually in my friend's. It is just not right for me to give someone a gift that has me registered as the owner.
"Here's a car, friend, but it really belongs to me."

It has to be a little simpler. I can't believe that someone at vB can't change registration details. Then again, if you are correct and ownership goes only by the site's URL, then could I please get a vB staffer's confirmation on that.

[SillyAlien]

A new development! This really gets better by the minute.
Just got off the phone with XXXXXcard. Their records show that I have 3 charges in total from Digibuy. The first is mine, correct. The second was cancelled, because my card declined (ooops, did a lot of shopping I guess). The third is my friend's license. So, two charges stuck, the middle one bounced.

Moral of the story: I now have been billed for 2 licenses, but only hold one in members area, as the second one has been voided out as "fraudulent use" by vB. See, I told you it gets better by the minute. So now I not only have to find a way to re-purchase my friend's license, but also how to do so without being charged another 12 times and how to get that last charge reversed as it has purchased NOTHING now.LOL

*SillyAlien goes to bed before a nervous breakdown ensues*

[Wayne Luke]

Get your card company to fax you a record of the transaction. Or better yet get them to fax Jelsoft a record of the transactions on your behalf. No one is trying to cheat you out of your legitimate purchases here.

Usually these orders go smooth but unfortunately you got hit by a snafu of some sort. However I am confident that if you show proof of your purchase everything will be made right.

[JamesUS]

There isn't usually a problem with having a different name in the credit card owner and license owner boxes - I registered one of my licenses with a different name on the credit card.

I'm not sure why DigiBuy picked this one up as fraudulent.

Best of luck!

[SillyAlien]

I know this is just a series of consecutive "Murphy's Law" snafu's. I really don't mind myself. It's just the fact that my friend has to suffer because of all of this. I'll probably have to purchase another (third) license while this is all being sorted out so that he can get on with his site. He's got a beautiful "Coming Soon" sign there due to all of this (Yesterday there was a nice message board there).

Anyhow, on with life I guess.

P.S. Regarding getting the bank to fax a copy of the transaction..... we live in an age of electronic mail. I can get a copy of my whole statement online myself, 24Hrs a day.

[SillyAlien]

P.S. Sorry, I forgot ..... Unfortunately no one has confirmed yet if I should register the new license for my friend in my own name, if that will still be considered HIS license. Also, if I will be able to transfer it to my friend's name at all?

Thank you all for the "Murphy's Law" talk, but can someone please try to answer that one. Thanks you.

P.S.2 Just confirmed with the bank.... the "Murphy" filter that backfired was not on their end, but at Digibuy. Their end definitely shows a valid purchase.

[JamesUS]

You can change the name later but it shouldn't be necessary...it usually works fine to purchase with a different name as the owner to the credit card. I purchased with 2 different names and it was fine.

[Wayne Luke]

Originally posted by SillyAlien
P.S. Regarding getting the bank to fax a copy of the transaction..... we live in an age of electronic mail. I can get a copy of my whole statement online myself, 24Hrs a day.

We do live in an electronic age, but electronic records can be easily altered with little or no trace left behind. Not saying that you would do this but it is a fact that it can be done. Not only that but email is inherently insecure. Not sure you would want to trust your financial data over it.

A Facsimile copy from your card issuer would have more validity than an email from you.

I hope you can understand what I am saying here...

[John]

Silly,

Can you email me all your correspondance from Digibuy to john@vbulletin.com and I'll take a look at it and get your licenses sorted out.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused here.

John

[SillyAlien]

Originally posted by wluke


We do live in an electronic age, but electronic records can be easily altered with little or no trace left behind.
I hope you can understand what I am saying here...

You are very right, wluke. I thought about the same thing later.

[SillyAlien]

Originally posted by John
Silly,

Can you email me all your correspondance from Digibuy to john@vbulletin.com and I'll take a look at it and get your licenses sorted out.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused here.

John

All is on its way, thank you for your time John.

[SillyAlien]

I believe the issue can be considered resolved. Thankj you all for your time and input.
John, thank you for your dedicated attention.

Cheers;)

[SillyAlien]

Sorry, I spoke too soon. The issue seems to be far from over!

Jonh, please check your mail.

[SillyAlien]

Hello again....

I am back, against my will. What started 7 days ago and was supposedly resolved by Digibuy and vB staff alike (as per John's emails) is continuing to haunt me.

On Friday (Aug.03) I tried to place an order for a vB license once again to replace the one that was yanked from my friend for no reason. This process took me to a nice WARNING page, informing me that the card I was using was deemed "special", or fraudulent. I have since emailed vB and Digibuy and four days later have yet to receive an answer. Incidentally, I am still waiting for a reply to an email I sent Digibuy on August 1st (2001 of course).

This morning, Monday August 6th, at 10:20am I placed a phone call to Digibuy. All I got was an answering machine informing me that this number was only for placing orders and, after informing me that all calls were recorded for security purposes, asked me to leave my name, credit card number and product number.

I am very tired, at this point, of chasing around to try and resolve a problem that was initially caused by "advice" that was given me by vB staff. I will have to insist that this problem be resolved within the next 24-48 hours. I had made the same request in an email to John, but since this was the weekend I will accept the fact that he may have been away. This, however, is a public notice and should be seen clearly by most, if not all vB staff.

All that needs to be done is for vB to contact Digibuy and instruct them to release my credit card number from the "special" list. I will then make the purchase and we will all be able to get on with our lives.

Again I will stress, so that we don't have any "Why don't you do this..." and "Why don't you do that..." replies to this post: The initial problem was caused by instructions given by vBulletin support staff. The problem was "enhanced" by the lack of staff and foresight/understanding at Digibuy. The problem was further made worse by the failure of vB staff to go and correct the problem at Digibuy, given the fact that they had all this information on their hands. It is therefore for vB and Digibuy to sort this mess out. You will notice that all the while I have not been seeking any compensation or trying to "get something for nothing". The least, however, that I would expect is a public apology to my friend.

Please accept this as one final request to resolve the matter in a localized arena.

Sincerely...

[SillyAlien]

I have just received an email from Digibuy stating as follows

Dear Customer,

Your credit card has be blocked from use from our site due the billing
information was incomplete and/or incorrect. Please use a different
credit for purchase.

Please let us know if you have any additional questions. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Customer Support
DigiBuy
A Service of Digital River, Inc.
digibuycs@digitalriver.com
http://www.digibuy.com
Chuck L.



Is this how you expect to resolve the problem? By brushing me off with "Just use another card..."?

[tubedogg]

We do apologize for any trouble this has caused. Please understand, however, that we have no discretion over what DigiBuy does. Unfortunately, with third-party billers, there is no way we can say "take this person off the fraudulent list". DigiBuy handles all of the transaction details and we don't have anything to say about whether or not a credit card is declined.

I disagree with their reasoning for blocking your card, as mistakes happen and typos are made. It seems extreme. However as I said this not something that we are doing, or that we instructed DigiBuy to do, and therefore there's nothing we can say to them that will make them change it. You could try contacting them directly and explain the problem, as it might make more impact coming directly from you than it would coming from John. John was out of town this past weekend so hopefully he is now catching up on email and you should get a response to that email soon.

[James]

Hello,

I have now resolved this issue via email - thread closed.

All the best,

James